indybay peninsula featureshttp://www.indybay.org/favicon.icohttp://www.indybay.org/peninsula
Indybay Peninsula Featureshttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/02/01/18767905.php
March for Justice: End US State Terrorism Against People of ColorStudents Hear About Pan-Africanism/US Imperialism at Rally in Mountain View2015-02-02T01:26:03Z2015-02-02T01:26:03Zen-US
Student speakers asked, "Why should the US government be above the law?" They said the US government should join 122 other countries and belong to the UN's International Criminal Court. In addition they called for an end to police violence against people of color.

Akubundu Lott, an organizer for the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party, addressed the crowd. He said the US displays its imperialist role when it sends aid in the form of troops to countries requesting humanitarian aid. In addition, Lott said, the US has helped Israel set up an apartheid state in the Middle East.

Read More with Photos: 1 | 2
]]>Anti-War and MilitarismFront PagePeninsulaPolice StateRacial Justiceimage/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/01/14/18766865.php
Reclaiming Martin Luther King Jr's LegacyBay Area Pulls Off 96 Hours of Action as Part of National Call to "Reclaim King's Legacy"2015-01-14T08:09:08Z2015-01-14T08:09:08Zen-US
The ninety-six hours of direct action across the Bay Area highlighted the unjust economic and political structures that King fought to defeat. Thousands unified, regardless of skin color, religion, or creed to reclaim King’s legacy and act, in tandem, against police and economic violence, two primary tools of white supremacy. Actions took place throughout the Bay Area, at BART stations, community meetings and street corners and came in the form of shut downs, guerrilla theater, teach-ins, and concerts. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, activists in Oakland staged a pre-dawn home demo at the house of new mayor Libby Schaaf before protesters held a large march through the neighborhoods where systematic and state sanctioned murder of Black, Brown, and Poor people occur most.

Santa CruzAl Helm: Martin Luther King in Palestine (Sun)
]]>Arts + ActionCaliforniaCity of San FranciscoEast Bay AreaFront PageGlobal Justice and Anti-CapitalismHealth, Housing, and Public ServicesLabor & WorkersNorth Bay / MarinPeninsulaPolice StateRacial JusticeSanta Cruz / Monterey Bay AreaU.S.image/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/29/18766178.php
Drift Gillnets are Deadly Curtains of DeathLawmakers & Conservation Groups Call for Phase Out of California Drift Gillnets2014-12-30T04:19:15Z2014-12-30T04:19:15Zen-US
Every fishing season mile-long drift nets are set to soak overnight in California's coastal waters. They have entangled an average of a hundred marine mammals in recent years, including protected whales, dolphins, seals and sea lions, as well as thousands of sharks, sunfish and other fish. Sea turtles are also at risk. The vast majority of marine wildlife is dumped back into the ocean, dead or injured. The swordfish and sharks they keep are so high in mercury, that the U.S. FDA warns women and children never to eat it.

“California drift gillnets are deadly curtains of death for marine wildlife like whales and sea turtles,” said Doug Karpa, legal program director at Turtle Island Restoration Network. “We applaud Assemblymember Levine for taking a leadership role to ensure our oceans are not indiscriminately mined.”

Two-day strikes have started that effect nearly 20,000 registered nurses at 86 Kaiser Permanente hospitals and clinics, a Sutter hospital in Tracy, and Watsonville Community Hospital kicking off a wave of protests in 15 states and the District of Columbia over eroding patient care conditions symbolized by inadequate Ebola safeguards at most U.S. hospitals.

Kaiser RNs and nurse practitioners went on strike the morning of November 11 in Antioch, Fremont, Fresno, Oakland, Redwood City, Richmond, Roseville, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, San Leandro, San Rafael, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, South Sacramento, South San Francisco, Stockton, Vacaville, Vallejo, Walnut Creek. Large noon rallies were held at Kaiser Oakland and Kaiser South Sacramento.

On November 12, California RNs will join with nurses and allies in 14 other states and the District of Columbia to step up the call for improved safeguards in the face of the deadly Ebola virus. For striking nurses, the failure to secure Ebola safeguards symbolizes what nurses see as a steady erosion in care standards that increasingly put patients as well as nurses and other frontline health workers at risk.

Read More]]>CaliforniaCentral ValleyCity of San FranciscoEast Bay AreaFront PageHealth, Housing, and Public ServicesLabor & WorkersNorth Bay / MarinPeninsulaSanta Cruz / Monterey Bay AreaSouth Bay Areaimage/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/10/23/18763229.php
Lawsuit Launched to Protect Pinto AbaloneOcean Acidification, Climate Change and Poaching Threaten Pacific Coast Snail Habitat2014-10-24T00:55:08Z2014-10-24T00:55:08Zen-US
The pinto abalone is in desperate need of federal protection; throughout much of its historic range, pinto abalone populations have plummeted from 80 percent to as much as 99 percent, and numbers continue to fall along the Pacific coast. “Overfishing nearly wiped out pinto abalone, and a warming and acidifying ocean now threatens to finish them off,” said Kiersten Lippmann, a biologist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The best way to prevent extinction is immediate protection under the Endangered Species Act.”

Read More | Center for Biological Diversity | See Also:Rare Abalone One Step Closer to Endangered Species Act Protection]]>CaliforniaCity of San FranciscoEnvironment & Forest DefenseFront PageInternationalNorth Bay / MarinNorth CoastPeninsulaSanta Cruz / Monterey Bay AreaU.S.image/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/10/09/18762646.php
Public Right to Access California Coastline ReaffirmedMartin's Beach Access Lawsuit Won Against Billionaire Vinod Khosla2014-10-09T22:19:15Z2014-10-09T22:19:15Zen-USSurfrider Foundation, scored a huge victory in its protracted legal battle against billionaire and venture capitalist, Vinod Khosla, to restore beach access at Martin’s Beach in San Mateo County, California. In 2010, Khosla had locked gates that provided the only public access to the beach. In a decision made by San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Barbara J. Mallach, Khosla will be required to seek a permit from the California Coastal Commission for the gates, signage and other access-blocking development at Martin’s Beach and begin a public process to consider the changes to the property and beach access.

“Today’s court decision upholding the Coastal Act is an important victory for Martin’s Beach and ultimately strengthens the public's right to beach access in California,” says Angela Howe, Esq., Legal Director for the Surfrider Foundation. “The Surfrider Foundation remains vigilant to protect beach access rights, not only in this case, but also in other cases where the beach is wrongfully cut off from the public.”

Although Khosla is believed to have intentions to appeal the decision, Joe Cotchett of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, whose firm represents the victorious Surfrider Foundation says, “Today’s decision is a huge victory for all of the people of California. It affirms that great wealth cannot be used to circumvent and ignore the law. Everyone can again visit Martin’s Beach.”

On September 30, Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 968, a bill authored by Senator Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), which outlines a timeline and process for the State Lands Commission to acquire public access to Martin's Beach.

Read More |
Surfrider Martin's Beach campaign]]>CaliforniaEnvironment & Forest DefenseFront PagePeninsulaimage/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/10/06/18762483.php
Standing Strong Against the Death PenaltyMovement to End Capital Punishment Growing2014-10-06T11:39:23Z2014-10-06T11:39:23Zen-US
Wrongful conviction is one of the most troubling aspects of the criminal justice system and when execution is an option, there will always be a risk that the state may kill an innocent person. Former East Palo Alto resident Rick Walker was found guilty of murder by a jury even though Santa Clara County prosecutors had no physical evidence tying him to the crime. He told how he spent 12 1/2 years in prison for a criminal act he did not commit.

Also speaking was Fr. River Sims of the Society of Franciscan Workers. He helps street kids in San Francisco; he is a lone protester standing against the death penalty every week at the the Earl Warren Building located at 350 McAllister Street in San Francisco. The Earl Warren Building is the headquarters of the Supreme Court of California. He invited others to join him and stand strong against the death penalty.

Photos]]>Front PagePeninsulaPolice Stateimage/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/09/26/18762084.php
We Are Not World CopsBay Area Residents React to Airstrikes on Syria by Taking to the Streets2014-09-26T10:10:53Z2014-09-26T10:10:53Zen-US
Demonstrators in San Francisco and San José took the streets as well. The real objective of this war, said protesters, is to locate permanent Pentagon military bases in Iraq, Syria and the entire resource rich region of the Middle East. Endless war in the Middle East with the US leading the pack is to gain permanent imperial power and domination in a region that contains much of the world's oil reserves.

Palo Alto:
Photos
San Francisco:
Emergency Protest "Stop the U.S. bombing of Syria!"]]>Anti-War and MilitarismCity of San FranciscoFront PagePeninsulaSouth Bay Areaimage/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/09/14/18761616.php
Family of Yanira Serrano Sues San Mateo Sheriffs and Deputy Who Killed Their DaughterHalf Moon Bay Family also Names County and 911 Dispatcher in Federal Lawsuit2014-09-14T09:25:19Z2014-09-14T09:25:19Zen-USlawsuit against San Mateo County and San Mateo Sheriff's Deputy Menh Trieu in Federal District Court in San Francisco for the June 3 killing of Yanira at her home in Half Moon Bay. On August 18, San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen M. Wagstaffe announced charges would not be filed against Deputy Trieu for the killing.

The complaint alleges Deputy Trieu shot and killed Yanira without reasonable cause, which is a violation of the Fourth Amendment's limits on police authority. "The fact of the matter is there was no reasonable basis to shoot her," said attorney Arnoldo Casiallas, who is representing the Serrano family in the lawsuit. The complaint also alleges the shooting was a result of negligence on the part of the San Mateo County Sheriff's office due to its insufficient training of Deputy Trieu, as well as the dispatchers who handled the 911 call.

"They not only killed Yanira, they killed the entire family," said Carmen Garcia Serrano, Yanira's mother. "The goal is to prevent any other family from suffering this kind of pain."

"The only reason we called [911] was because she wasn't taking her medication," she said.

Previous Coverage:Family Demands Transparent Investigation Into Killing of Yanira Serrano Garcia]]>Front PagePeninsulaPolice StateRacial Justiceimage/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/09/14/18761615.php
New Data Shows California Drift Gillnets Not Sustainable, Continue to Kill Marine MammalsObservers Document Killing of Whales, Dolphins and Sea Lions by Fishery2014-09-14T08:43:41Z2014-09-14T08:43:41Zen-US
“Every year that drift gillnets are used off the California coast to catch swordfish, the result is that iconic whales, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks and thousands of fish are ensnared and killed as bycatch,” said Geoff Shester, California campaign director for Oceana. “Ultimately this gear type must be fully prohibited off the West Coast so we can have a sustainable swordfish fishery.”

In a letter sent to the regional Pacific Fishery Management Council — the 14-member voting body tasked with advising the Fisheries Service on federal fishery management — Oceana requested that this gear type used to catch swordfish be prohibited in all waters off the U.S. West Coast, and during any transition period that “hard caps” be established on the total number of whales, dolphins, sea lions, sea turtles, sharks and other fish that can be killed as bycatch. If such hard caps were reached or exceeded in any fishing season, the fishery would be shut down for the remainder of the season. The fishery is currently operating without a valid permit as required by law, meaning the federal government is knowingly allowing it to operate illegally.

Previous Coverage:Swordfish Drift Gillnet Fishery Restricted to Protect Loggerhead Sea Turtles || Whales and Sea Turtles Win One: No Driftnet Expansion in California ]]>Animal LiberationCaliforniaCity of San FranciscoEnvironment & Forest DefenseFront PageNorth Bay / MarinNorth CoastPeninsulaSanta Cruz / Monterey Bay AreaU.S.image/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/09/13/18761613.php
Rally in Redwood City for Equal Rights AmendmentBattle for Passage of the ERA has been Fought for 91 Years2014-09-14T06:45:24Z2014-09-14T06:45:24Zen-US
Women in attendance at the rally, which was held at Redwood City's Courthouse Square, wore red bandanas in solidarity and sang in unison led by the Raging Grannies, "We fought this fight before and now we fight again today." The battle for passage of the ERA has been fought for 91 years since it was first introduced in 1923, and Speier introduced legislation for passage this year.

Granny Mandy writes: Women in America are not guaranteed equal pay for equal work. They continue to experience unfair workplace conditions. Because the Equal Rights Amendment has not yet passed, there are still laws that favor the perpetrators over victims in cases of sexual assault. As we saw in the case of Hobby Lobby, women are subjected to restrictions on contraception and family planning services despite stipulations of the Affordable Care Act. The recent Supreme Court decision on Hobby Lobby made it safe to treat women and their health care needs differently. Hobby Lobby offers no exemption for the life or health of the woman and thus elevates an employer's religious beliefs over the value of a woman's life.

Read More with Photos]]>Front PagePeninsulaU.S.Womynimage/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/07/27/18759230.php
Swordfish Drift Gillnet Fishery Restricted to Protect Loggerhead Sea TurtlesFeds Close Over 25,000 Square Miles of Ocean Off California's Coast to Destructive Gear2014-07-28T00:58:39Z2014-07-28T00:58:39Zen-US
This is the first time the conservation area has been closed since it went into effect over a decade ago. Today’s action came after the Center for Biological Diversity, Oceana, and Turtle Island Restoration Network called upon NMFS earlier this month in a letter urging them to implement this important closure. “We are glad to see that Pacific loggerhead turtles are now protected in California’s coastal waters,” said Todd Steiner, a biologist and executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network. “But enough is enough. It’s time for California to follow the lead of Washington and Oregon, and close this deadly fishery to protect not only sea turtles, but also whales, dolphins and sharks regularly killed by this fishery.”

NMFS is required by law to close the more than 25,000-square-mile Pacific Loggerhead Conservation Area to protect the sea turtles during June, July and August when an El Niño event is occurring or forecasted. The seasonal closure protects loggerhead sea turtles that follow warmer waters off California in search of their preferred prey, pelagic red crabs. Although NMFS implemented the conservation area and drift gillnet prohibition almost two months late, conservation groups commend the agency for taking the proper steps to ensure protection of endangered loggerhead sea turtles as the fishery picks up in mid-August. The swordfish drift gillnet fishery operates from May 1 to January 31, but over 90 percent of the fishing occurs from August 15 through January 31.

Previous Coverage:Whales and Sea Turtles Win One: No Driftnet Expansion in California]]>Animal LiberationCaliforniaCity of San FranciscoEnvironment & Forest DefenseFront PageInternationalPeninsulaSanta Cruz / Monterey Bay AreaU.S.image/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/07/26/18759176.php
Protest at Whole Foods in Palo Alto: Boycott Eden FoodsEden Foods Wants to Stop Covering Birth Control for Its Employees2014-07-27T00:05:06Z2014-07-27T00:05:06Zen-USpassed out flyers in front of the Palo Alto Whole Foods store, telling customers why they should boycott Eden Foods, a company that is suing the Obama administration for exemptions to the Affordable Care Act. Eden Foods owner Michael Potter wants to stop covering birth control of all kinds, including pregnancy counseling, for his employees. The Grannies sang their message as well, calling out Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, who has also publicly campaigned against the Affordable Care Act.

Raging Grannies Action League writes: "Whole Foods carries 2,000 Eden Foods products. The owners of Eden Foods are Catholic and, according to The Daily Beast, they don’t just want to stop covering some contraception, they want to stop covering all of it. At the same time, many women who are Whole Foods shoppers are opposed to the 'Hobby Lobby' Supreme Court decision; Eden's case, which is even more far-reaching, is soon to be heard."

Here’s how Occupy Google explains their reasoning: Though Google and other major companies such as Netflix, Amazon and Microsoft have come out in support of preserving a free and open web, we believe much more can be done. Though many of us have concerns about the larger implications of Google’s effect on the world, as far as surveillance and ties to military technology, we are not here to protest Google. Google, with its immense power, has a social responsibility to uphold the values of the internet. We encourage Google to engage in a serious, honest dialogue on the issue of net neutrality and to stand with us in support of an internet that is free from censorship, discrimination, and access fees.

Late in the night, ten activists, including a journalist who was livestreaming the event, were arrested for trespassing.

See Also: tires slashed on google shopping express truck in Mission District |
Check this out, a Google GlassHole Party]]>Front PageGlobal Justice and Anti-CapitalismPeninsulaPolice StateU.S.image/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/06/20/18757641.php
Family Demands Transparent Investigation Into Killing of Yanira Serrano GarciaCommunity Responds After San Mateo Sheriff Shoots and Kills 18-Year-Old in Half Moon Bay2014-06-20T14:37:48Z2014-06-20T14:37:48Zen-US
The family is also asking that June 3 be named "Yanira Serrano Garcia's Memorial Day" by official proclamation in Half Moon Bay, and that the council call for the establishment of a sub-committee to study the lack of social services devoted to Moonridge. Yanira's brother asked for those in the audience who support the resolutions to stand, and the majority of those in the public seating area quickly stood. "It is really overwhelming what is happening to the family," he said.

After the killing of Yanira there has been a number of vigils and demonstrations held in Half Moon Bay demanding justice. At the city council meeting, the Mayor of Half Moon Bay announced that on Thursday, June 26 there will be a community meeting at 6pm at the IDES Hall in Half Moon Bay to "further discuss the issues," he said.

Raging Grannies and friends impersonated the sheriff, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents, and immigrants, portraying Arpaio's abusive tactics. María Marroquín, Executive Director of the Mountain View Day Workers who is also a Raging Granny, said that Arpaio denied that he uses racial profiling when speaking with demonstrators, despite the federal rulings.

Photos]]>Front PageImmigrant RightsPeninsulaPolice StateRacial JusticeU.S.image/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/05/09/18755608.php
President Praises Walmart at Store in Mountain View, Protesters Cry FoulObama Disappoints Labor Advocates with Appearance at Walmart on Peninsula2014-05-10T06:36:17Z2014-05-10T06:36:17Zen-US
Demonstrators said the president's visit sends a terrible message to workers. They accused Walmart of using spin to promote the perception that it is a socially conscious company, when the exact opposite is the case. Walmart has been called the poster child for despicable behavior as thousands of civil lawsuits are filed every year against the retail giant.

National civil rights leaders have signed a letter calling on the Walton Family Foundation to follow in Walmart’s footsteps and end their ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and specifically voice their opposition to “Stand Your Ground” and voter suppression laws. The leaders, including Rev. Jesse Jackson, Dr. Jeremiah Wright and Danny Glover, write that they are appalled that despite Walmart’s and the Walton Family’s attempts to create an image of supporting civil rights and community and civic participation, both the retail giant and the foundation have given more than $1 million to politicians with close ties to ALEC and its agenda.

Read More]]>Front PageGlobal Justice and Anti-CapitalismLabor & WorkersPeninsulaimage/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/04/13/18754087.php
Supreme Court Rules in Favor of the 1%, Immediate Response in Palo AltoCourt's Decision Clears the Way for More Private Money to Enter the Electoral System2014-04-14T06:39:52Z2014-04-14T06:39:52Zen-US
One SF Peninsula protester said, "If you thought Citizen's United was selling our democracy down the money pit, check out the McCutcheon vs. FEC ruling handed down today!"

Sally Lieber, former Speaker pro Tempore of the California State Assembly, Nancy Neff of the CA Clean Money Campaign, and others spoke in front of Palo Alto's City Hall. Al Mite TeDollar and a Supreme Court Justice shook hands as Al proffered cigars in mock celebration. Speakers in Palo Alto's King Hall Plaza said that the Court's ruling in favor of McCutcheon today is a giant blow to our electoral system. The event was organized by the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center.

Read More with Photos]]>Front PageGlobal Justice and Anti-CapitalismPeninsulaimage/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/03/18/18752771.php
Whales and Sea Turtles Win One: No Driftnet Expansion in CaliforniaProposal to Allow High Bycatch Driftnets into Protected Sea Turtle Habitat Denied2014-03-18T23:21:08Z2014-03-18T23:21:08Zen-US
The Pacific Fishery Management Council (the Council) called for immediate action to: 1) impose strong whale protections regulations on the driftnet fleet that expired in January 2014, and to 2) test lower bycatch fishing gears for catching swordfish. But the Council failed to take direct action to remove driftnets from the California coast, though the gear is banned in Oregon and Washington.

Not long ago, an estimated 16 endangered sperm whales died in the California driftnet fishery. Last season at least one gray whale and two short fin pilot whales perished in the driftnets, according to preliminary observer data.

Read More]]>CaliforniaCity of San FranciscoEnvironment & Forest DefenseFront PageNorth Bay / MarinNorth CoastPeninsulaSanta Cruz / Monterey Bay AreaU.S.image/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/03/14/18752584.php
Protections Increased for Endangered Seabird in Santa Cruz Mountains State ParksSettlement Will Reduce Threats to Marbled Murrelet From Garbage, Predators2014-03-15T00:14:21Z2014-03-15T00:14:21Zen-US
In June 2013 the Center filed suit challenging the state’s inadequate protections for marbled murrelets under its new management plan for Big Basin Redwoods State Park, a heavily visited park that supports the largest remaining old-growth nesting habitat in the central coast region. Visitor garbage in campgrounds and picnic areas in Big Basin and two other redwood state parks has led to unnaturally high densities of ravens and Steller’s jays that eat murrelet eggs and chicks. Scientists have found that high nest predation is a primary factor driving the declines of murrelets in the region.

The new agreement requires comprehensive measures to protect marbled murrelets in Big Basin Redwoods, Portola and Butano state parks, including: Comprehensive trash management requiring animal-proof food-storage lockers at all campsites, installation of indoor dishwashing stations, and increased trash pickup to prevent dumpster overflow; extensive public outreach that makes the murrelet a focal point of the parks; and annual monitoring of marbled murrelet status and predator numbers and a comprehensive assessment every three years requiring further action if murrelet status does not improve.

Previous Coverage:Lawsuit Filed to Protect Endangered Marbled Murrelet in Santa Cruz Mountains]]>CaliforniaEnvironment & Forest DefenseFront PagePeninsulaSanta Cruz / Monterey Bay Areaimage/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/03/05/18752043.php
Sit-in for Immigrant Rights Blocks Major Intersection in E. Palo AltoLabor Action Promotes Unions and Protests Department of Homeland Security E-Verify Program2014-03-06T00:50:48Z2014-03-06T00:50:48Zen-US
Latinos Unidos Por Una Nueva America (Latinos United for a New America) joined other immigrant rights groups and unions including SEIU and UFCW to bring about the action. Labor organizers have been trying to unionize Latino and Asian ethnic markets across the state and the Mi Pueblo grocery chain has been at the center of their attention due to particularly poor working conditions.

Photos]]>Front PageImmigrant RightsLabor & WorkersPeninsulaimage/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/03/05/18751959.php
Farmers Target Four Sprouts Locations to Save Gill Tract Farm"Boycott Sprouts" Actions Across Bay Area Before Albany City Council VoteMarch 12.]]>2014-03-05T08:25:52Z2014-03-05T08:25:52Zen-US
These actions come in the wake of similar actions throughout the week. Farmers oppose plans to develop the Gill Tract, a prime piece of agricultural land administered by UC Berkeley, which has subdivided and developed the original 104 acre plot so that only 20 acres remain. For more than fifteen years community members have been working to preserve the land for urban farming and participatory agricultural research. Sprouts “Farmers Market” is now poised to pave over that precious community resource to build another grocery store. The group organizing the action, Boycott Sprouts, is asking shoppers to patronize other stores until Sprouts backs away from the development deal.

On March 5th, the Albany City Council approved paving six acres of the Gill Tract. In response to the council's vote, Occupy the Farm has called for a rally on March 12.

Read More |
Occupy the Farm rally in response to City Council decision March 12 |
BoycottSprouts.com |
OccupytheFarm.org]]>East Bay AreaEducation & Student ActivismEnvironment & Forest DefenseFront PageNorth Bay / MarinPeninsulaSouth Bay Areaimage/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/02/22/18751415.php
Protest at Google Headquarters Demands Google Withdraw from ALECGoogle, Facebook, and Yahoo Membership in American Legislative Exchange Council Under Fire2014-02-22T09:32:26Z2014-02-22T09:32:26Zen-US
Common Cause has filed a whistle-blower complaint saying that ALEC is guilty of under-reporting its lobbying expenditures and claims to be a non-profit organization when it actually benefits large corporations.

Activists are pressuring corporations including Google, Facebook and Yelp to withdraw their membership in ALEC. The Raging Grannies riffed that Google should "use the withdrawal method" during the musical protest in Mountain View. Helen Grieco of Common Cause and Brant Olson of Forecast the Facts led a caravan that started in San Francisco and ended in Sunnyvale at Yahoo. They delivered letters to management as part of the campaign to get corporations, including Facebook, to break their affiliation with ALEC.

Common Cause | Forecast the Facts]]>Front PageGlobal Justice and Anti-CapitalismPeninsulaRacial Justiceimage/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/02/06/18750386.php
Bay Area Cities Join Nationwide Vigils to Protest Keystone XL PipelineXL Pipeline Demonstrators Urge President to Keep Word and Fight Climate Change2014-02-06T08:39:58Z2014-02-06T08:39:58Zen-US
In Palo Alto, poetry, song, and dance enlivened the Lytton Plaza event. A singer performed a ballad she wrote for the occasion, inspiring two of the seven Raging Grannies who attended to burst into an impromptu lyrical dance interpretation. One speaker waxed poetic about the fate of whales, while others cited statistical evidence for concerns related to the oil pipeline.

Keystone XL is a tar sands pipeline that would transport some of the dirtiest crude oil on the planet from Alberta, Canada, and across American soil for export. Activists in both Canada and the U.S. are trying to stop the pipeline from endangering communities along the proposed pipeline route. The February 3 event featured actions in over 300 cities nationwide, and the campaign was led by CREDO, Rainforest Action Network, the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, and 350.org, among a host of other organizations.

See Also: Thousands Urge Obama to Reject Keystone XL at Vigils Across the Nation
]]>Environment & Forest DefenseFront PagePeninsulaSanta Cruz / Monterey Bay AreaU.S.image/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/08/07/18741178.php
Palo Alto Bans Vehicular DwellersViolation of Ban on Sleeping in Car Carries Fine of up to $1,000 and 6 Months in Jail2013-08-08T05:31:11Z2013-08-08T05:31:11Zen-US
James (Lee) Han, a local activist and Redwood City native who pulled papers for the city council race in that city last week, emcee'd the Stop the Ban Coalition's rally. The Raging Grannies sang and told the gathered crowd of about 75 people that, indeed, two members of the Grannies had been vehicular dwellers in recent years.

Han reminded the rally audience that the ban targets the city's homeless population, many of whom work in Palo Alto but are paid far too little to afford to live in homes there, and end up living in their cars to get by. Homeless advocates Robert Norse and Becky Johnson came from Santa Cruz to speak of the viciousness of laws enacted in their own town. Johnson said that despite all the nit picky laws in Santa Cruz, including no sitting on blankets allowed, the number of homeless has not decreased, and that vehicle dwelling bans are inhumane.

The suit, filed in California Superior Court in Santa Cruz county, challenges the department’s plans to expand visitation and visitor facilities in or near essential nesting habitat, which the department admits will cause significant harm to marbled murrelets. The seabirds already face a high risk of extinction in the Santa Cruz region, in part because human trash is unnaturally increasing populations of ravens and other nest predators that eat murrelet eggs and chicks.

Big Basin Redwoods State Park provides the largest remaining stand of old-growth nesting habitat for marbled murrelets in the Santa Cruz Mountains. In Big Basin, Murrelets have been declining. “Time’s running out for murrelets in the Santa Cruz Mountains,” said Shaye Wolf, a CBD biologist. “State Parks should have committed to helping these beautiful little birds survive — if this misguided plan goes forward, it will likely push them closer to extinction.”

Read More | See Also:Public Comment Period for Big Basin Preliminary General Plan/Draft EIR Ends August 1st (2012)]]>CaliforniaEnvironment & Forest DefenseFront PagePeninsulaSanta Cruz / Monterey Bay AreaU.S.image/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/07/02/18739251.php
Solidarity with the People of TurkeyBay Area Actions Oppose State Repression in Turkey and Around the World2013-07-03T01:06:00Z2013-07-03T01:06:00Zen-US
The protests in Turkey began May 28 at Istanbul's Taksim Gezi Park, against plans to turn the loved and historic city park into a shopping mall. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan brutally attacked the peaceful demonstrators. Protests then erupted in opposition to Erdogan's crackdowns on political freedom, and moves by Erdogan's semi-Islamist government to limit alcohol sales and to outlaw signs of affection in public. The subsequent police violence against the people of Turkey has resulted in a number of casualties and injured thousands.

Organizers of the upcoming Rally for Rights in Santa Cruz state: "It doesn't matter whether the government is led by reactionary Islamists in Turkey, secular social democrats in Brazil, or conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats in the U.S., the systems they rule over are the same, and serve only the interests of the 1%."

Last month protesters built a mock pipeline in front of Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park and posed in front of the famous "thumbs up" signage on the company's lawn with their own thumbs down. Then on June 1st, activists marched in hazmat costumes and carried their pipeline up the street in Mr. Zuckerberg's San Francisco neighborhood. They projected a giant outdoor film screening about the dangers of the Keystone XL against a wall near his new home.

Demonstration at Facebook HQ |
Guerilla Action in Mark Zuckerberg's SF Neighborhood | See Also:Fight for Women's Rights in Front of Facebook CEO Home]]>City of San FranciscoEnvironment & Forest DefenseFront PagePeninsulaU.S.image/jpeghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/04/08/18734869.php
Ritzy Obama Fundraisers Bring Protests Against XL Pipeline in San Francisco, AthertonDemonstrators in Bay Area Tell Obama No XL Pipeline2013-04-08T14:54:11Z2013-04-08T14:54:11Zen-US
Rain meant the deployment of dozens of umbrellas in the tiny town on the San Francisco peninsula. President Obama's arrival in Atherton via military helicopter created disappointment among the demonstrators, some of whom had arrived before 8am. After two hours of waiting in rain, however, the protesters found out that the President would leave the fundraiser via motorcade. They were able to make their protest known as the State Department vehicle carrying the President passed directly along the route where demonstrators held their placards high.

Environmentalists are worried that the XL pipeline's existence would contribute to global warming because of greenhouse gas emissions from the process of extracting bitumen from Canadian tar sands. Many said they have not forgotten the President's inaugural promise to fight climate change and insist that he should follow through on that promise by rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline.